Reunion
by bookworm812
Summary: They'd always find their way back to each other.


Thunder resounded harshly across the black skies as passengers anxiously thronged JFK Airport, New York city. Some had come to see loved ones off, others to receive them and in the middle of this ensuing chaos, Air France Flight AF 1024 from Paris chose to land.

New York in the night was no place for a young woman to be out on her own but a rainy and windy New York was infinitely worse. Having navigated passport and customs, Angela Moore found herself finally in the arrivals corridor, a few metres spanning the distance between her and the city outside.

She stopped in the corridor to regain her breath. The very air of New York pulsed with activity and it made one tired to simply see the crowds swarming around like avaricious bees. A couple walked by arguing the entire way and she caught sight of a minor scuffle that was quickly disengaged by airport security.

_Welcome to New York_, she told herself wryly. But it didn't matter.

It didn't matter how horrible the flight had been, how irritable the crowds were or the fact that she should have had her head examined for venturing out of JFK at 11:00 pm with no idea of where her destination actually was.

All that mattered was seeing him tonight. Everything else could wait.

She blushed at the instantaneous warmth his very thought brought to her and gathering her strength, quickly wheeled her trolley out of the airport.

'Where to?'

The cabbie was a gruff, old fellow with a grimace that made Angela half-forget her earlier resolve to go at it alone and decide to call Topanga instead. But she steeled herself and ignored his telltale leer, calmly sitting in the back and making herself recite the address without a quaver in her voice to betray her anxiety. She knew that the trip would take a little while given that they had go to the Village area in downtown Manhattan, but that would give her some time to collect her thoughts.

They didn't know that she was coming. In fact, she had deliberately told no one as she had wanted to surprise Shawn especially. From her constant correspondence with everyone, she'd come to know that they had rented two places – a double studio for Cory and Topanga and a one bedroom flat for Shawn and Eric. Tonight they'd all be at Shawn and Eric's place for the weekly movie night, and that was where she was currently headed. She'd already made plans to stay at an hotel for a while until her summer job came through and perhaps if all went well, she wanted to talk with Shawn about their future.

Angela closed her eyes, the reality of the situation finally slamming into her. Finally, after a long ten months, she was going to see Shawn again. She ached to feel his arms around her, that glint in his eyes as he told her he loved her and most of all, his touch.

They'd kept up their relationship but it had been difficult. There were times that one or the other or both had broken down on the phone in tears, and mostly it had been her, torn apart in two between her father and Shawn. She had definitely enjoyed her stint in Europe and had savored the opportunity to see her almost never-there Dad but Shawn had been in her thoughts every second.

If there was a singular benefit to her being in Europe and away from Shawn, it was that she was now firmly convinced of him being the only man for her. France and Switzerland weren't lacking in eligible men but Angela's heart was already well and truly captured. Her time away had given her the chance to think about her future and she knew without a doubt that she wanted it to be linked to Shawn's. She couldn't conceive of sharing her life with anyone else and secret, cherished dreams of perhaps an engagement, a charming yet simple wedding and little babies with their father's eyes had started to invade her dreams.

And deep in the darkest recesses of her mind were dreams that awoke her in hot flushes, out of breath, stars exploding under her closed eyelids, and nearly sobbing with the need to feel his touch.

Angela smiled dreamily as the passing streetlights and nightlights dotting the skyscraping concrete landscape twinkled back at her, as if teasing her about her thoughts. She felt a slow blush suffuse her cheeks. It wasn't as if she was a complete puritan, but Angela had wanted to share herself physically only with the one she was destined to spend her life with and wondering about how it would be with Shawn was now coming to occupy nearly her every waking thought.

She knew that Shawn still loved her. They spoke every alternate day, even if only for a few seconds, just to hear the other's voice and exchanged long emails and letters. It was always Shawn who encouraged her to be strong when she broke down, rationalizing that he would be waiting for her and that she should be taking the time to get to know her father, a chance long denied to him.

If it was possible, she fell in love with him all over again when she went away. Angela had resolved that if everything went 'exactly, perfectly right' to quote Topanga at one point during school, she would be able to have her dreams come true. She closed her eyes and desperately hoped that Shawn felt the same way. They'd both had difficult childhoods and those scars couldn't be entirely lessened but after crossing quite a few difficult obstacles, she hoped that Shawn felt as secure about them as she did.

And a large part of her felt that he did. She had always been able to read him like an open book. The slightest change in the tone of his voice spoke volumes to her even across the Atlantic and if Shawn wasn't in love with her anymore, she would have picked up on the same by now.

A cold feeling of dread seared her to the bone even as she tried not to contemplate that. If Shawn didn't love her, Angela knew that she would be utterly broken. Her world had come to revolve around him while she was away and if he…

_Better not to keep thinking along those lines,_ she told herself sternly.

'Here we are. Pierre Court's the one across the road but I ain't taking the car around and parking.'

Angela silently nodded but sighed inwardly at the thought of dragging a suitcase across the road in the pouring rain. She was thankful that she'd only decided to bring a few things with her; after her residence was fixed, her father would send over the rest of her luggage.

Handing over the fare, she got out and immediately had to bring up a hand to stop the rain from pelting into her eyes. Suddenly, Pierre Court just across the street seemed a galaxy away and Angela realized that she had to gallop across the road to avoid being run over by motorists who would find the rain and wind interfering with their visibility.

Oh, she was going to be _so_ sick tomorrow.

Taking a deep breath, Angela waited until the cab moved off, no doubt with the driver questioning her sanity. Grasping her shoulder bag tightly, and clutching hold of the pull-handle on the suitcase, she squinted her eyes and then briskly stepped across the road, narrowly missing two potholes that would have resulted in nasty sprains.

Having made it safely to the other side, she offered her thanks to whatever divine power existed that the building did not have a security intercom. Then she would have had to reveal herself and all would have been lost.

Again checking the paper tucked in her jacket pocket which had the address written down, she wiped her wet palms on an equally soaked skirt and tried to calm her racing heart. She'd be seeing all of them after a year, with no one having a clue as to her sudden arrival. A smile nudged the corners of her mouth – she knew that Topanga would most likely kill her for having trudged in the rain like this. The married woman had missed her best friend a lot in the past year and was not given to concealing her anguish whenever they had spoken or communicated.

Apartment 1C. She let out a sigh of relief. At least she had to carry her suitcase just up one flight of stairs.

Finally, she stood in front of the door. Her breath was forming little clouds – a combination of perspiration at the recent journey as well as the cold that blanketed the air. She could feel her fingers violently shaking and fisted them to give her courage. Muted voices from inside carried out to her and she strained to try and identify Shawn.

She gave herself a last mentally cleansing breath and forced her hand to lift and rap sharply on the door. There wasn't a peephole, she noted belatedly which meant that the shock value would be incredible.

And, she had wanted to surprise, had she not?

'I'll get it!' Unmistakably Topanga's. Very near the door and now she was fiddling with the doorjamb. Angela nervously smoothed her skirt and tried to straighten her hair, a part of her mind reminding her how ridiculous it was to think that her efforts were going to make any difference to her bedraggled appearance at this point.

The door opened.

Angela found herself looking straight into her best friend's eyes. She saw them staring at her in amazement and then she saw the corners turn up in joy and slow tears leak from her eyes to flow down plump, womanly cheeks.

'Angela?' It was no more than a whisper but all noise inside the apartment instantly ceased as the word carried around with the clarity of a clarion call.

And then, all hell broke loose.

Angela wasn't able to clearly recall everything until much later, but she knew that Topanga had launched herself at her, laughing and crying at the same time and shouting without a care for the neighbors that her best friend had returned. She had a memory of being dragged into the apartment and then being warmly hugged by Cory who also had tears of joy which accompanied his trademark goofy grin. Eric, she remembered had yelled out her name in happiness and had buried her in a bear hug while planting smacking kisses on her cheeks and lifting her off her feet and twirling her in a mad circle.

And then a fourth person had taken his place by giving her another warm and welcoming hug. She pulled back, surprised and shocked to see Jack there. Last she'd heard, Jack had been wanting to go into the Peace Corps along with Rachel, which made her wonder why Rachel wasn't back as well.

'Hey guys, what's the entire ruckus about? Oh my God…'

It seemed as if the entire world had stopped on its axis. The silence that ensued was deafening in its intensity, making the sounds of shattered glass as Shawn's juice slipped from his fingers in shock, sound like a calamity of epic proportions.

Angela simply gazed at him, unable to tear her eyes away from his. Inwardly she was raging at herself, urging her mouth to say something, anything but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat and try as she might, she couldn't dislodge them.

Across the room Shawn similarly gaped, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. It wasn't possible, he thought, it had to be like all the other dreams where he woke up only to face the cold reality that she was miles away in another continent.

But there she was, right across the hall, soaking wet, with water dripping off her skirt, and her jacket. Her hair had gown longer now and was in curls falling halfway down her back. They were clumped around her face, with beads of rain falling down the sides of her cheeks.

Her eyes, however, were shining at him – full of love, hope and a slight sheen that he knew belatedly must have been in his own as well.

Both were dimly aware of the other four occupants silently standing off to the side who knew that this was a reckoning moment and thus even tried to breathe with the barest minimum of effort.

As if in a dream, Shawn found himself walking towards Angela. She stayed rooted to her spot, paralyzed with anxiety, excitement and fear. As he neared her, he could see her trembling and he quickened his pace.

Barely an inch from her, with them so close that they were staring into each other's eyes, he stopped and feasted on her features.

Topanga brought her hands up to her mouth, unaware that she'd begun to hyperventilate.

Cory clasped his hands together anxiously and hopped a little on the spot.

Jack crossed his arms and stayed perfectly still, but the cords in his neck belied his tension.

Eric whipped his eyes back and forth between Shawn and Angela as if in a tennis match.

But the couple in question merely continued to stare at each other, drinking in the other's form and drawing strength from seeing the other again. The air in the apartment crackled and shimmered with the electricity between blue and black orbs as they connected.

Just as the other four thought that their heads would explode, Shawn lifted a quivering hand and brought it to Angela's face. He hesitated for a second, still wondering if this moment was actually real and then placed it on her cheek, cupping his fingers around it and letting his thumb move in a slow arc over the bone.

Angela closed her eyes at his touch, it was as wonderful and warm as she'd remembered. Suddenly, her emotions would hold no longer. He moved his thumb, cupped her cheek and that was her undoing.

She let out a choked sob that tore at all the occupants in the room and tears made their way from underneath her eyelids.

For Shawn, it was living proof that she was actually here. She opened her eyes in time to meet him halfway as they fell into each others arms, wrapped up in a passionate and loving embrace.

The only sound in the room was Angela's sobs which once started, simply wouldn't subside. They were muffled in Shawn's shoulders, in his neck but they were eloquent in their expression of blissful happiness and delight that could only come from being where she was right at that moment.

Jack wouldn't tease Shawn about it until much later, but never had he seen his little brother cry that much. Endless streams of tears cascaded down his face, lost themselves in the depths of Angela's hair even as he tried to pull her in tighter, pull her closer, and somehow make her a part of himself.

Now Angela was saying something, managing to gasp out words between her sobs and Shawn pulled back just enough to look down into her face. She brought her hands to his face and held it gently, lovingly.

'I've missed you, Shawn. Oh God, I've missed you so much. I love you and I don't ever want us to be apart anymore.'

And with that she threw her arms around him again, relishing in the feel of his cheek against hers and pressed kisses to the side of his face frantically.

Shawn's hands were stroking her back possessively, vowing to never let her out of his sight again. He inhaled her unique scent and loved the way she held him. It made him feel instantly safe and loved like never before.

'Angela, oh I missed you too. You have no idea how much I've missed you. I don't think I could stand it if I were ever away from you again, don't ever leave me ok? Life's not worth living if you aren't by my side.'

Angela smiled and laughed through her tears, feeling the happiest she ever had in a long while. She leaned her head against his and as he kissed her forehead, she murmured, 'Coming to you is like coming home, Shawn.'

At that, Shawn looked deep into her eyes. That one statement had touched on a very strong emotion that had resonated deep within him before she'd left. While she'd been away he'd had time to reflect on his proposal of marriage. He'd thought about how married life with her would have been and if he was sure about anything, it was that she was the only woman he would ever love.

Angela continued, her voice steady and not wavering a bit. She'd decided instinctively what she was going to do. This was the right, perfect moment. 'I want that everyday for the rest of our lives, Shawn. I…I don't have any fancy speech prepared so I am just going to ask you straight off. Shawn Hunter, will you marry me?'

There was a collective gasp from the occupants still standing behind the couch. Shawn gaped in shock at Angela. He'd never expected that she would pop the question to him! But he knew that if he'd ever needed confirmation of her love for him, this was it. This was proof that not everyone in his life walked away to be on their own. Here was someone who loved him, who wanted to be with him forever and who had proven time and again that in spite of seeing him at his lowest, she still loved him.

_And let's not forget that I couldn't live without her, _he chuckled and then shook his head as Angela stared at him questioningly. He saw her bit her lip in anxiety and placed a finger on it, soothing the marks left and slowly leaned down.

Angela had been kissed by Shawn many times before and in many ways – out of passion, love, anxiety, affection but it had never been anything like this. A sweet rush of stars blinded her as his lips claimed hers tenderly, gently. Then his mouth nudged hers open and Angela found herself barely conscious and aware of the fact that his tight hold was the only thing stopping her from meeting the floor.

'Yes' Shawn whispered, between scorching kisses, 'yes, I'll marry you, Angela Moore. I love you and want us to be always be together. I'd be honored to be your husband.'

At that word, they drew apart to look at each other and let out tearful laughs of joy. It seemed to be the signal for everyone to join in, as the room suddenly became alive with noise again and the newly engaged couple found themselves being hugged and patted to death.

When Eric, Cory and Topanga had finished offering their congratulations with Topanga already planning out the wedding and her maid of honor dress, Jack stepped forward. Sensing that he was serious, both Shawn and Angela gave him their full attention.

Jack pulled Shawn into a fierce hug and both were blinking back tears. It meant a lot to Shawn to have at least one family member around for him to share in his joy.

'So my little brother is all grown up, then eh?' Jack teased softly. 'Doesn't mean I can't come over and kick you every once in a while.'

Shawn grinned back warmly, 'Wouldn't have it any other way, big brother.'

Angela was touched at what she had witnessed; she'd known that it hadn't been easy for Shawn and Jack to always get along. Then Jack turned to her and again the room went utterly silent.

'Angela' Jack began, 'I'm so glad that you've been there for Shawn. He needs some love and laughter in his life and you've saved him and helped him more than anyone.'

She gave a tearful smile, 'Thank you…that means a lot, coming from you.'

'And another thing. I've always wanted a little sister, you know. And now thanks to Shawn here, I've got one. Let me officially welcome you to the family.'

Jack opened his arms and Angela went happily into them. Shawn's eyes met those of his brother's over her head and his gratitude was clearly visible. Angela leaned up and kissed Jack's cheek. 'Now I've got a big brother too. So when Shawn is being a total pig, I can count on you for help?'

Jack chuckled, 'Absolutely. I'll be there before you say the word.'

Topanga chimed in sobbing and wrapping an arm around her best friend, 'You think I'd be quiet if I saw how he treated you? I guess Shawn's going to be your new best friend from now on so hey Shawn, you better take care of her, ok?'

Shawn held up his hands in surrender, 'Now if everyone's finished threatening me, can I have my fiancée back in my arms? Haven't kissed her the way I wanted to, yet.'

Angela blushed at the catcalls and hoots that filled the room but a sudden sneeze interrupted her assent. It was enough to get Cory flustered and become the ninety year old grandfather. 'Young lady, we've all forgotten that you're soaking wet! Topanga, first get her changed into some dry clothes. Everything else can wait.'

Angela nodded resignedly as she found herself propelled but stopped nevertheless to plant a blazing kiss of her own on Shawn's lips on the way to the one bedroom. 'Be right out, ok? Hold that thought' she breathed.

'Waiting right here, ma'am…' he responded breathlessly.

Shawn sighed as the door closed and turned around to find the other three guys giving him cheesy, smug grins. 'Oh go on and have your fun, I know you're dying to start making fun of me!'

Cory sighed dramatically, 'Wait till you start getting your wedding planned, son.'

Shawn raised his eyebrows and he smiled, 'We aren't you and Topanga, Cor. Myself and Angela, want a fairly simple and quiet wedding with only close family and friends there. No big themes, no big drama, just us getting married.'

'Well' said Eric with a happy smirk, 'let's raise our orange juice to Shawn and Angela!'

Shawn shook his head as the guys resumed their places before Angela had oh so delightfully invaded this night and looked longingly at the door that concealed her from him. There were still so many things he wanted to ask her, tell her, plan with her. He couldn't wait to get started on their life together.

He knocked softly and it was opened by Topanga. She smiled knowingly, 'I knew you'd want to come in here – she's all yours. But you're just engaged, not to mention in an apartment full of people so don't get too carried away.'

Shawn rolled his eyes playfully and made to enter but Topanga shot a last jibe, 'And let her out sometime this century! I need to catch up with my best friend too.'

The door to that room was shut in a second. It didn't open for quite a while and when it did, Shawn and Angela knew that they were ready to embark on the rest of their lives.

Together.


End file.
